Perfect season intact and Continental Tire Invitational champion honors to their credit, the Arizona State men's basketball team, elevated by a career-high 40-point performance from Tra Holder, defeated No. 15 Xavier, 102-86, on a Friday afternoon at Orleans Arena. The victory was the program's first win over an opponent ranked in the top-15 since knocking off then No. 6 Arizona, 81-78, on Feb. 7, 2015. It also marks Arizona State's largest margin of victory (16) over a ranked opponent in the Bobby Hurley era, with the previous high of 13, coming on Dec. 6, 2015 in a 67-54 victory over No. 16 Texas A&M. Improving to 6-0 on the promising campaign, the Sun Devils have eclipsed the 90+ point-mark in all six of their games on the season. After trailing by as much as 15 at the 3:56 mark, ASU mounted a furious 15-2 run to cut the deficit to two, 46-44 enter the break down a bucket, and a 58-point second half put the Musketeers away.
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NOV. 30, 2008: JAMES HARDEN GETS 40 IN ANAHEIM WIN OVER UTEP
James Harden scored 40 points, eclipsing the tournament record he set the game before, as the No. 14 Sun Devils took down UTEP 88-58 to win third place at the 76 Classic in Anaheim Harden's 40 points were not only a career high, but also the fifth highest scoring mark in ASU history. He went 14-for-25 from the floor, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, while adding eight rebounds and four assists. The sophomore made 7-of-11 shots, including all four from 3-point range, en-route to 19 points in the first half. ASU was clicking on all cylinders, draining a season-high 13 3-pointers and forcing 10 turnovers as their stingy defense returned to form after giving up 87 points last game.
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DEC 5, 2015: SUN DEVILS LEAD FROM START TO GIVE BOBBY HURLEY HIS FIRST WIN AS A SUN DEVIL OVER A RANKED TEAM
The Sun Devils defeated No. 18 Texas A&M 67-54, holding the Aggies to season-lows in points and a .311 field goal percentage. Despite Texas A&M opening the contest on a 5-0 run, Arizona State took the lead for the remainder of the game. At 14:46, Atwood connected on a contested three, moving Arizona State to 49-24, their largest lead of the game. Late in the second half, Texas A&M managed a 14-3 run, cutting the deficit to eight with 2:42 remaining. ASU responded holding the Aggies scoreless. Led by a career-high 15 points from Willie Atwood, the Sun Devils finished 36.4 percent (20-55) from the field, 33.3 percent (10-30) from beyond the arc, and 70.8 percent (17-24) from the foul line. Five Sun Devils contributed double-figure scoring outputs. Savon Goodman recorded his third double-double of the season posting ten points with a game-high 12 rebounds. Tra Holder went 6-for-7 from the line, netting 13. Gerry Blakes added 11, and Kodi Justice went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, finishing with 10. Arizona State recorded 22 points on 14 Aggie turnovers and benefited from 16 bench points. The Sun Devils led for 35:58 total minutes in comparison to 3:20 from Texas A&M.
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DEC. 10, 2017: ROCKCHALK SHOCKER: SUN DEVILS EXPLODE TO WIN AT NO. 2 KANSAS
Arizona State found itself down 15-2 before the first media timeout, but the resilient Sun Devils used a 15-0 run in the second half to earn a 95-85 upset over No. 2 Kansas (7-2) at historic Allen Fieldhouse. The win improved ASU to 9-0, one of just seven teams in the nation still undefeated. ASU's 58 second-half points is the most scored vs. KU in half since Texas Tech scored 60 in the second half on Feb. 13, 1999. You can relive that day in tweets here.
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JAN. 9, 2008: FRESHMAN JAMES HARDEN EXPLODES IN OVERTIME WIN AGAINST RIVAL ARIZONA
In his first career meeting with Arizona, freshman James Harden helped carry the Sun Devils to the 64-59 overtime victory and ended a 12-game losing streak to the Wildcats. Harden led all scorers with 26 points, 22 of which came in the second half and overtime. The Devils were held to only four points in the first seven minutes, but the resilient group battled back in front of a rowdy sellout crowd at Wells Fargo Arena. Harden’s free throw in overtime gave the Devils the 56-55 lead, their first since the early minutes of the game. As Harden took over, the Sun Devils never let that lead go, earning their ninth straight win and a 3-0 record in the Pac-10 for the third time in school history.
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JAN. 17, 2009: HARDEN AND NO. 16 ASU TOPPLE NO. 9 BRUINS IN OT AT PAULEY PAVILION
The No. 16 Sun Devils locked up defensively to upset the ninth ranked UCLA Bruins on their own floor in a 61-58 overtime thriller. After a sloppy outing against USC two days earlier, guard James Harden shined with a game leading 24 points, while forward Jeff Pendegraph’s 18 points helped the Devils rally back from an 11-point second-half deficit. The story of the night however was the ASU defense which held the No. 9 Bruins to only one field goal in a 13-minute stretch to end regulation and start overtime. The win snapped multiple UCLA win streaks including a 10-game season win streak, a 15-game home win streak, and an eight game win streak against the Sun Devils. The win also marked the sixth time in school history that the Devils defeated a top-ten team on the road, the first since 1998.
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FEB. 5, 2009: HARDEN GOES OFF FOR 36 IN WIN OVER OREGON
James Harden continued his stellar sophomore season with a 36 point explosion in Arizona State’s 66-57 win over Oregon. The Devils handed the Ducks their tenth Pac-10 loss keeping them winless in conference play, their worst start since 1992-1993. Harden, the conference’s scoring leader with 21.9 points per game, recorded his fifth 30+ point game of the season. His 36 against the Ducks was his highest scoring performance in conference play. After a slow, 3 of 9 start from the field, Harden found his rhythm hitting eight of his last 11 shots and went 5 of 10 from three point range. In a tight first half that included 12 lead changes, the Devils scored the final five points to take a 32-27 lead into the break. Harden wasted no time coming out of the half hitting two 3-pointers as the Devils went on an 8-0 scoring run stretching the lead to 40-27. Despite inching as close as 49-42 with just under nine minutes in the second half, Oregon could not compete with Harden’s 23 second-half points and the Sun Devils pulled away to ice the Ducks.
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FEB. 7, 2015: BO BARNES AND THE SUN DEVILS UPSET NO. 6 ARIZONA IN TEMPE
After a lopsided loss to the Wildcats in January, the Arizona State Sun Devils inched away from their sixth-ranked rival for a 81-78 win. With the win the Devils split the season series with Arizona, but for the second consecutive year took down the Wildcats in Wells Fargo Arena. The Sun Devil offense dominated one of the nation’s best defensive teams in all sorts of ways, shooting 7 of 15 from three point range, 22 of 28 from the free throw line, and over 50 percent from the field overall. Freshman guard Tra Holder went for 15 points and eight assists, and forward Savon Goodman added 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting with nine rebounds. But it was guard Bo Barnes, the Scottsdale native, who led all Sun Devils in scoring with 18 points off the bench. The season split with the Wildcats meant the Devils held a slight 9-8 edge in the rivalry since the 2007-08 season.
FEB. 12, 2016: HOLDER, GOODMAN, AND BLAKES HELP PUSH THE SUN DEVILS TO UPSET OVER NO.23 USC
The Sun Devils’ second straight conference win came in upset fashion when Arizona State upended USC 74-67 in Tempe. It was business as usual for the Trojans in the first half shooting 58 percent from the field while holding ASU to only 33 percent shooting. But after going into halftime trailing 30-27, the Devils came out firing in the second half sprinting away on a 10-2 run. The Sun Devils kept on firing, stretching their second half lead to nine at one point before the Trojans cut it to three with just under five minutes to play. In response, ASU went on a 9-3 scoring run to put away any doubt. Tra Holder’s 20 points, Savon Goodman’s 17, and Gerry Blakes’ 14 all headlined the ASU offense. But the defense had an equally impressive outing forcing 17 Trojan turnovers and holding USC 18 points below its conference play scoring average.
FEB. 14, 2008: HARDEN LEADS LATE SURGE IN OVERTIME STUNNER AGAINST NO. 7 STANFORD
It was not looking great when the Sun Devils trailed No. 7 Stanford by 14 with just under eight minutes to play. But for the second time in a week Arizona State was able to rally back, this time to upset the Cardinal 72-68 in overtime. The Devils came out hot, never trailing in the first half. They never led by less than four, sometimes stretching their lead out as far as ten. The momentum carried into the second half when ASU started things off with an 8-0 run. James Harden led the way with 23 points, scoring the last four points of regulation to force overtime.
FEB. 14, 2014: SUN DEVILS SHOCK NO. 2 ARIZONA WITH DOUBLE OT UPSET WIN
The fans in Tempe had lots to love when the Sun Devils took down the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats 69-66 in double overtime on Valentine’s Day. After the Wildcats handled ASU in January, the Devils went on quite the roll winning five of six leading up to the rivalry matchup. Jermaine Marshall’s eight points in double overtime capped off a 29 point performance that led all scorers. His offense was keeping the Devils afloat in the first half, scoring 12 of ASU’s 19 points in the first twenty minutes. But despite the inconsistent offense and rebounding struggles, the Sun Devil defense stepped up in a big way. Holding the second ranked team in the nation under their season scoring average, the Devils forced 15 turnovers, snagged seven steals, and swatted nine shots. Center Jordan Bachynski was dominant in the middle accounting for eight of the Devils’ nine blocked shots. But without doubt, the biggest of Bachynski’s eight blocks was when he rejected Arizona guard T.J. McConnell’s attempted game winner. After Jahii Carson picked up the ball and dunked it to push ASU up 69-66, fans stormed the court only to find 0.6 seconds still remaining on the clock. But once the Wildcats could not get off a clean shot and the buzzer sounded, the fans were right back celebrating the victory at midcourt.
FEB. 18, 2015: JAMES HARDEN’S JERSEY IS RETIRED AT WELLS FARGO ARENA
The Sun Devil faithful welcomed back one of the most decorated basketball players in the program’s history when James Harden had his jersey retired during a matchup with UCLA in Tempe. From Harden’s arrival to Tempe in 2007, he quickly became one of the most lethal players in the Pac-10. Averaging 19.0 points per game over his two year college career, Harden was named first team all Pac-10 in 2008 and 2009, became the third Sun Devil ever to earn the Pac-10 player of the year honor, and was the first in the program’s history to be named a consensus first team All-American. Harden also was just the fifth player in the history of the Pac-10 to lead the conference in both scoring (20.1 points per game) and steals (1.69 per game) as a sophomore in 2008-2009. Harden’s impact on the team was undeniable as well, leading the Devils to back-to-back 20 win seasons for the first time in almost three decades, and a five game win streak against the rival Arizona Wildcats, the first such streak since the Devils won nine straight from 1979-1983. Harden’s #13 jersey became the seventh Sun Devil number retired to the rafters of Wells Fargo Arena.
FEB. 21, 2010: SUN DEVILS STAY ROLLING WITH WIN AGAINST WILDCATS IN TUCSON
After dropping the first matchup in Tempe, Arizona State defeated the Arizona Wildcats 73-69 in Tucson to stay hot and split the season series. The four point victory was the Devils’ third straight win and the fifth in the last six games. In the nine matchups with Arizona under head coach Herb Sendek, the Devils have posted a 6-3 mark and held the Wildcats to only 62.4 points per game after a nearly 20 year stretch where the Wildcats went 34-5 against ASU averaging 86.6 points per game. ASU guard Ty Abbott dropped 28 points, only two shy of his career high, while the Devils shot 67 percent from the field as a team in the second half. The win was the Devils’ third straight in Tucson, a feat not seen since 1983.
MAR. 4, 2012: SUN DEVILS STEAL A WIN IN A CLASSIC TERRITORIAL CUP MATCHUP
In a game that featured 22 lead changes where the lead was six points or less for the majority of 40 minutes, the Arizona State Sun Devils pulled away from their bitter rivals to upset Arizona 87-80. The underdog Arizona State squad hung tough in the first half with the lead changing hands 13 times. The Sun Devils racked up 20 points in the paint before going into halftime trailing 44-38. Coming out of the break the Devils fought right back and once they claimed the lead with five minutes to go, they never gave it up. The story of the afternoon was the dominant ASU offense which shot 55.8 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from three. The team also shot 22 of 24 from the free throw line and scored 44 points in the paint. Jonathan Gilling and Trent Lockett each scored 21 points and Carrick Felix added another 23.
MAR. 9, 2009: JAMES HARDEN BECOMES THE THIRD SUN DEVIL TO WIN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
After a stunning sophomore season, James Harden was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, an award decided by the conference coaches. Harden was an all-around star for the Devils, leading the conference in scoring with 20.1 points per game while also racking up 1.69 steals, 4.1 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game. A major highlight included a career high 40 point outing in November against UTEP. Harden has helped lead the team to its second straight 20-win season and has maintained a perfect 5-0 record against the rival Arizona Wildcats. Harden also became the third sophomore in the conference’s history to earn the honor.
MAR. 11, 2018: ASU RECEIVES FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT BID SINCE 2014
For the first time since 2014, the Sun Devils are going dancing in Dayton. After posting a 20-12 record over the season, Arizona State earned an at-large bid to the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Devils were selected to the First Four where they are set to take on Syracuse for the right to be the 11 seed in the Midwest bracket.
MAR. 13, 2009: HARDEN LEADS THE DEVILS PAST NO. 13 WASHINGTON FOR CHANCE AT CONFERENCE CROWN
Things were looking bleak when the No. 23 Sun Devils blew a 21 point lead, but a James Harden-led 17-5 run over the final six minutes helped push ASU past the No. 13 Washington Huskies 75-65 in the Pac-10 Tournament. Harden did a little bit of everything scoring 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field including 3-of-5 from behind the three, and added nine rebounds and four assists to his statline, and yet he still had help. Jeff Pendergraph tallied 18 points and seven rebounds, Derek Glasser racked up 16 points and five assists, and Ty Abbott added 12 points of his own. Going into the game the Sun Devils were 3-10 all time in the Pac-10 Tournament having never made the semifinals. But with the victory, the fourth seeded Devils earned a chance to play for their first conference tournament title.
MAR. 15, 1963: ASU BEATS UCLA TO ADVANCE TO THE ELITE 8
The 1962-1963 WAC champion Arizona State Sun Devils faced off against the dominant UCLA Bruins in the West Bracket Regional Semifinal. The Sun Devils took an overpowering 62-31 lead into halftime, a margin that would prove too large to overcome. And despite being outscored in the second half, the Sun Devils cruised to the Elite 8 on the backs of a 93-79 throttling of the Bruins.
MAR. 16, 2014: ASU RECEIVES NCAA TOURNAMENT BID
After posting a 21-12 regular season record, the Arizona State Sun Devils earned a 10 seed in the Midwest Regional Bracket of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The Devils are set for a matchup with the seven seed Texas Longhorns. This marked the 13th NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament appearance for the Sun Devils.
MAR. 17, 1961: ASU ADVANCES TO THE ELITE 8 WITH WIN OVER USC
The 1961 regular season Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion ASU Sun Devils stomped the USC Trojans 86-71 to advance to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The victory helped secure the Devils’ first Elite 8 in the program’s 50 year history. Highlighting the BIAA championship team were guard Larry Armstrong who averaged 19.9 points per game, and forward Ollie Payne who averaged 15.4 points and 7.0 rebounds.
MAR. 18, 1995: ASU BEATS MANHATTAN TO ADVANCE TO SWEET 16
The 1995 ASU men’s basketball team entered the NCAA Tournament ranked 16th in the final AP Poll, and with a 64-54 win over Manhattan, the Devils cemented themselves as one of the final 16 teams to play in March. The second round matchup in Memphis featured three Sun Devils scoring in double figures. Ron Riley led all scorers with 21, while Mario Bennet added 17 and Jeremy Veal chipped in ten. As a team Manhattan outshot the Devils from the field and snagged more rebounds, but an explosive second half pushed Arizona State to the win. The win marked the Devils’ fifth Sweet 16 appearance in the program’s history.
MAR. 20, 1975: WIN OVER UNLV VAULTS DEVILS TO THE ELITE 8
The 1975 Arizona State men’s basketball team, champions of the Western Athletic Conference, rode a big second half to a 84-81 win over UNLV to advance to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels, the 17th best team in the country according to the final AP Poll, took an eight point lead into halftime. But a strong second half surge pushed the Devils in front and they never looked back. Jack Shrader’s 13 points led the way for the starters, but Eddie House and Rudy White each chipped in 12 more. It was actually both Scott Lloyd and Gary Jackson who led the Devils in scoring, each with 17 points off the bench. The three point victory earned the Devils their third Elite 8 appearance ever.
MAR. 20, 2003: SUN DEVILS RIDE SECOND HALF EXPLOSION TO THE ROUND OF 32
In their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the mid ‘90s, the Arizona State Sun Devils trounced Memphis 84-71 to advance to the Round of 32. After trailing by only one point at halftime, the Devils came out firing with a 52 point second half to take the win. The offense was on sharp, outscoring its 77 points per game season average. Ike Diogu scored a team high 22 points, and Shawn Redhage chipped in 18 points while Curtis Millage added 17. The Devils as a team outshot Memphis from the field by about 16 percent. And with the win the Devils are set to make their third Round of 32 appearance.
MAR. 20, 2009: ASU OFFENSE COMES TOGETHER TO ADVANCE PAST TEMPLE
In their first NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Arizona State Sun Devils were able to work around an off night from James Harden to beat the Temple Owls 66-57 and advance to the Round of 32. While Harden was only one for eight from the field, the Devils shot a stellar 51.3 percent from the field and a ridiculous 57 percent from three. Derek Glasser led ASU with a career high 22 points to go along with four assists. With only nine points from Harden and none from the bench, it was a serious group effort. Jeff Ayres kicked in another 22 points for ASU with seven rebounds and two assists. The win gave the Devils their fourth trip to the Round of 32.
MAY 4, 1964: JOE CALDWELL DRAFTED NO. 2 OVERALL BY THE DETROIT PISTONS
“Jumping Joe” Caldwell became just the fourth ASU men’s basketball player to be drafted to the NBA, and as the second overall pick he was the highest Devil to be drafted yet. Over his three year collegiate career, Caldwell averaged 18.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 46 percent from the field. He led the team to the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons. Caldwell’s number 32 jersey is one of seven men’s basketball numbers retired to the Desert Financial Arena rafters.
JUNE 25, 2009: JAMES HARDEN DRAFTED NO. 3 OVERALL BY THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The most decorated player in Sun Devil men’s basketball history was drafted third overall, the highest selection for an ASU player since Joe Caldwell in 1964. Harden spent a stellar two seasons in Tempe, where he averaged 19 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Harden earned All-Pac-10 honors in each of his two seasons, was named to the All-Pac-10 freshman team in 2008, and as a sophomore in 2009 was named the Pac-10 player of the year. Harden’s number 13 jersey is one of the seven men’s basketball numbers retired in Desert Financial Arena.
JUNE 28, 1983: BYRON SCOTT DRAFTED NO. 4 OVERALL BY THE SAN DIEGO CLIPPERS
As the fourth overall pick to the San Diego Clippers, Byron Scott became the third first round draft pick from Arizona State in three consecutive years. Scott was incredibly efficient in his three playing years, averaging 17.5 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field. Scott was named the Pac-10 Rookie of the Year in 1980 and in 1983 was named to the All-Conference team. Scott was the first pick in the top five since Joe Caldwell went second overall in 1964. Scott’s number 11 jersey is now retired in Desert Financial Arena.
JUNE 28, 2005: IKE DIOGU DRAFTED NO. 9 OVERALL BY THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Ike Diogu became just the seventh Sun Devil men’s basketball player to be drafted in the first round of the NBA draft, and at the ninth overall pick Diogu was the highest selection from Tempe since Byron Scott in 1983. Digou entered the league as one of the more decorated players in the Sun Devil program’s history, earning Pac-10 Rookie of the Year honors in 2003, making the All-Pac-10 in each of his three collegiate seasons, and was even named a second team consensus All-American and took home the Pac-10 Player of the Year title in 2005.
JUNE 29, 1975: LIONEL HOLLINS DRAFTED NO. 6 OVERALL BY THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
After a productive two-year college career, Lionel Hollins was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the sixth overall pick in the NBA Draft, the highest Sun Devil selection since Joe Caldwell over ten years earlier. Hollins was only the second Sun Devil to ever be selected in the first round. Through his two year college career, Hollins started all 56 games he appeared in for the Sun Devils averaging 17 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Hollins wrapped up his time in Tempe with a 25-4 sophomore season, a Western Athletic Conference title, and a trip to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. Today Hollins’ number 33 jersey hangs from the rafters of Desert Financial Arena.